Report -Eckersley's Mill engine hall, 'THE GAUNTLET!

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This engine hall sits in the middle of a huge mill complex, which is in various states of repair from complete ruin to light industrial workshops. After a while wandering over the dumped rubble and rubbish I spotted a way in. Someone had propped a huge wooden ladder up to a hole in the wall. Let me tell you I was amazed at what stared back at me through that hole!
The engine hall was huge, and was a similar design to the one we found at Stanley and Littlebrook's mill ( http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=31387 ) with a huge and ornate window at the far wall. The walls were also lavishly decorated with coloured galzed bricks. Running down the centre of the room was a deep stone pit, which ran to the other side of the building where a huge brick and stone arch rose up some 4 or 5 stories. I assume this would have housed a water tank at some stage.

I attempted to get down the pit to get under the arch, and that is where the real fun began. As there was no way down, and it was simply too deep to jump down, I had to pull the huge and heavy wooden ladder up from the outside and lower it down. I did this with much care, as one wrong move and the ladder would fall down the hole and I'd be stuck in the engine hall!

Once down in the pit, I started to make my way towards the arch, but this was no easy feat! There were wooden partitions every so often, that were a real pain to climb over as they were rotten as a pair and also quite high! One section led to a couple of rooms which had once been workshops. Thisgs like 'Player's No 6' packets and funnel topped milk bottles were reminders that this place had not been in use for many many years.

The last hurdle was very tough indeed. There was a huge pile of dumped rubbish, ranging from old fridges, rotten timber and sheet metal. The climb was made even more hazadous by a fridge that had been thrown from a higher level and had somehow ended up hanging by it's cable from a girder!
Past all that and up another wooden partition was the boiler room, which was still fitted with ornate cast iron vents in the walls. the steps to the top of the tower were sadly long gone, so a few snaps and then time to repeat the whole journey in reverse!
Tired and filthy, I left the place very happy I had seen such an amazing place!